oppn parties How Did UP Government Know Mishra Will Not Tamper With Witnesses?

News Snippets

  • For the first time ever, Mukesh Ambani buys a 29% stake in Gautam Adani's Mahan Energen, a subsidiary of Adani Power to source 500MW of electricity from the company's power plant in MP
  • Stocks continue to rise on Thursday - Sensex gains 639 points to 73635 and Nifty 203 points to 22326
  • Golf - Indian Open: 3 Indians at tied 14th as Joost Luiten takes the lead with a wonderful 7-under 65
  • IPL: RR beat DC by 12 runs as Riyan Parag (84 off just 45 balls) shines
  • SP drops two candidates owing allegiance to Azam Khan from Rampur and Moradabad
  • In Assam, a controversy erupted after a picture of UPPL leader Benjamin Basumatary, lying on a stack of Rs 500 notes circulated on social media. UPPL is an ally of the BJP
  • AAP's Jalandhar-West MP Sushil Kumar Rinku joins the BJP. He was the only AAP Lok Sabha MP
  • Supreme Court dismisses Centre's plea to review its 2023 verdict in the PMLA case
  • Close save for passengers as they remain unhurt after the wings of two planes graze at Kolkata airport. Pilots derostered and inquiry ordered by DGCA
  • Bengal BJP leader Dilip Ghosh gets notice from the EC as well as the BJP for making ugly remarks about Mamata Banerjee's parentage
  • Sadanand Vasanth Date, who faught terrorists in the 26/11 attack and was awarded the Preisent's Police medal, has been appointed the head of the NIA
  • Centre will borrow Rs 7.5L cr in the first six months of FY25, nearly 50% of the target for the full year
  • 25 stocks, including SBI, will see same day trade settlements from today in the world's fastest settlement mode in both BSE and NSE
  • Stocks recover smartly on Wednesday: Sensex rises 526 points to 72996 and Nifty 118 points to 22123
  • Tennis: Rohan Bopanna-Matthew Ebden reached the semifinals of the Miami Open
Delhi Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena says government cannot be run from jail, hints at President's Rule in the capital ////// In a dangerous incident, the wings of two planes grazed while taxiing on the runway at Kolkata airport, all passengers were safe but DGCA ordered an inquiry and the pilots were derostered
oppn parties
How Did UP Government Know Mishra Will Not Tamper With Witnesses?

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2022-04-05 06:06:56

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.

The Supreme Court took a dim view of the manner in which the Allahabad High Court dealt with the bail application of Ashish Mishra, the prime accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident where a convoy of cars ran over farmers. Mishra is the son of Union minister of state for Home affairs Ajay Mishra Teni. It has reserved its judgment in the plea for cancelling his bail.

The UP government argued in court that Ashish Mishra is "not a flight risk" and is unlikely to "tamper with witnesses". But the Supreme Court did not accept the state's contention and said that it should have followed the SIT advice which had recommended for opposing his bail plea on the grounds that he could tamper with witnesses.

It is strange that the UP government did not act upon the advice of the SIT, comprising of senior police officers, to strongly oppose Mishra’s bail plea. How was it so sure that once out, Mishra would not threaten witnesses? It is also regrettable that Allahabad HC granted him bail by going into the merits of the case which the Supreme Court said was "unnecessary for considering a bail plea".  Mishra may not run away but if he out on bail, there is every chance that he will threaten and browbeat witnesses.

The UP government should have considered Mishra's immense clout in the area as his father is an MP and a junior Union minister. If granted bail, his mere presence in the area would have scared witnesses from coming forward. It argued that each of the 98 witnesses had been granted police protection. But India has seen witnesses disappear and turn hostile even if they are under police protection once the accused is granted bail.

The Lakhimpur Kheri incident was a result of the sense of entitlement which families of MPs, MLAs and ministers appropriate for themselves. They are not scared of anyone and know that they will get out of any situation, however damning, due to the clout of their family. This needs to be changed and Ashish Mishra's bail must be cancelled as a first step and he must be punished as per law for his beastly act.